Timepiece setting device



I Oct. 10, 1944. E w DRESCHER 29360,].1'3

TIMEPIECE SETTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 18, 1942 6 t fil-Q 5 ERNEST W. DRESCHER f f@ @M Patented Oct. 10, 1944 TIMEPIECE SETTING DEVICE Ernest William Drescher, Manheim Township, Lancaster County, Pa., assigner to Hamilton Watch Company, Lancaster, Pa.

Application August 18, 1942, Serial No. 455,208

9 Claims.

This invention relates to timepieces and has for an object the provision of improved means and method of controlling the setting mechanism of a timepiece.

Another object is to provide a safety arrangement for the setting mechanism of a timepiece.

Other and further objects will be apparent from the following specifications and from the draw- 111g.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig, I is a partial, sectioned view of a timepiece case illustrating a stem, crown, and part of a control mechanism used in connection with an embodiment of this invention;

Fig. II is a partial view of a timepiece showing an arrangement of mechanism illustrative of this invention; and

Fig. III is a sectional view of the mechanism of Fig. II, taken substantially on line III-III of Fig. II.

In many timepieces the mechanism is such that the winding and setting thereof is accomplished by rotation of the stem, with some sort of clutch or gear changing arrangement to shift between the winding and the setting mechanisms. This shift is usually accomplished by pulling the stem out by grasping the crown between thumb and foreiinger. A cam or other arrangement is provided to keep the stem in either up or down position with such a force as to necessitate a positive push or pull to move the stem down or up as the case may be.

This force has been calculated to fit in with what would be a normal positive pull of thumb and forenger using a medium sized Watch. The force is not materially reduced for smaller watches and it is therefore more diiiicult to so manipulate the stem of a small watch because the crown is smaller and the finger surface less.

Similarly the force is not materially increased in big watches and the increased surface permitted by larger crowns inclines a person to exert an undue and often damaging force in pulling out the crown of large pocket watches, chronometers, chronographs and the like.

Also in such large timepieces, the eXtra surface of the large crowns is liable to cause a person who is Winding the timepiece to accidentally snap the stem up to setting position and change the setting of the watch. Such an action would be, at the minimum, a nuisance to people to Whom accurate timekeeping is vital, such as railroad men and others.

Consequently various devices have been provided for locking the stem in winding position,

usually necessitating constant pressure on a release button or lever during the entire setting procedure. Such van arrangement presents difculties since the release member must be held, the crown turned and the hands watched for proper setting, all at once.

The mechanism and method of this invention obviate the prior art diiiiculties set forth above in that an arrangement is provided whereby the stem is normally immovably locked against longitudinal movement to the setting position so no accidental pull can move it. When it is desired to set the watch, the locking member is moved only momentarily, just long enough to release the stem lock and permit the stem to be moved to the setting position. The stem lock will remain inoperative without further attention to or manual holding of the locking member, until the stem is pushed back into winding position. The locking member and arrangement then automatically move back into operative position, holding the stem down until again released by momentary unlocking action as applied to the locking member.

This invention therefore makes it possible for a person to wind his watch in complete safety and yet be able to quickly and simply move the stem to setting position and thereafter set the watch with full attention on the turning of the crown and the location of the watch hands and with no necessity of constantly holding a lever or button or other device in order to keep the stem lock released.

As illustrated in the drawing this embodiment of the invention is mounted in a watch case l. The term watch case as used in this specification is merely illustrative. It could be the watch movement or other support within the case, and indicates broadly a support for the mechanism of this invention. A stem 2 and a crown 3 on the stem are assembled and mounted in the watch ease l in the customary manner. A sleeve 4 is mounted on the lower part of the stem 2 and is rotatable with the stem and slidable longitudinally thereof. The sleeve 4 is provided with an upper gear portion 5 adapted to operably engage a watch winding gear 6. In the position of normal use of the watch and as illustrated in Fig. III the gear 5 is in engagement with the gear 6. The sleeve 4 has another gear portion i adapted when the sleeve 4 is moved out of engagement with the winding gear 6 to engage a setting gear 8. Therefore, in the normal position of the watch, rotation of the stem 2 will cause the winding gear 6 to be rotated and the watch to be wound and when the stem is pulled out rotation of the stem will cause the setting gear 8 to be rotated and the hands of the timepiece to be set as desired.

It is to be understood that this arrangement may be reversed or otherwise set up since whether the stem is pulled out or pushed in or otherwise manipulated to change from Winding t setting position or vice versa is merely a matter of particular arrangement to suit a given purpose. For the purposes of illustration, the arrangement shown herewith is that the stem is pulled out to bring it to setting position. It is to be understood that clutching means other than the sleeve gear arrangement shown may also readily be used if desired.

The movement of the sleeve 4 from winding to setting position and back is accomplished when the stem is manually pulled out or pushed in mainly through the use of two pivoted levers 9 and I0.

The lever 9 is pivoted to the case I on a xed pivot I I and supports a pin I2 within an annular slot i3 in 'the stern 2 so that movement of the stem causes the lever 9 to move about its pivot I I. The lever 9 is also provided with a pin I4 whose purpose is, to aid in providing a restraining action on the longitudinal movement of the stem 2. This action will be described hereafter. The lever 9 is also so contoured as to provide a cam finger portion I5 which is adapted to so bear on a surface I6 of the lever I0 upon movement of the lever 9 about its pivot II as to cause the lever ID to move about its pivot I?.

rIhe lever IIJ is provided with a free end finger I3 which lies within an annular peripheral slot I9 in the sleeve 4 so that movement of the lever I0 about its pivot I1 will cause the sleeve 4 to be moved longitudinally of the stem 2.

Accordingly, when the stem 2 is pulled out the lever 9 is moved in counter-clockwise direction about its pivot I I so as to bring the cam lever I 5 to bear upon the cam surface I6 and to move the lever I9 about its pivot Il in clockwise direction, thus so moving the finger I 8 as to move the sleeve 4 in the opposite direction to the movement of the stem 2 and consequently to bring the gear portion I into an engagement with the setting gear 8.

Movement of the stem 2 upwardly is resisted by two resilient actions, one of which is provided by a spring 2B which is iixed to the case I at one end and so bears upon the lever l adjacent the other as to urge it about its pivot in a counterclockwise direction. The other resilient force is provided by a spring arm 2| having a recess 22 adjacent a free end thereof in which the pin I4 of the lever 9 rests when the stem 2 is in winding position. When the stem 2 is in setting position the pin I 4 has been moved out of the recess 22 and rests on the spring arm 2| approximately as shown by the dotted indication of the pin at I4.

vThus a portion of the contour of the recess 22 and the outer surface of the resilient arm 2| act as cam surfaces in connection with the pin I4 with the point 23 being the high point of the cam. The high point 23, when the stem is in winding position, by holding the pin I4 in recess 22, maintains the stem in that position. When the stem is in setting position, the high point 23, by holding the pin I4 out of the recess 22, as at I4', maintains the stem in the setting position against the resilient action of the spring 2B.

Thus a yieldable or yielding resistance is provided to movement of the stem from either setting or winding position to the other of those positions and this resistance is overcome by a positive pull or push on the crown 3, usually by using thumb and forenger.

A safety or locking mechanism is provided which unyieldingly locks the stem 2 in winding position and the pin I4 in the recess 22 so that While winding the watch it is not possible to accidentally pull the stem out and change the setting.

This locking arrangement includes two plate members, each having a rigid portion and a resilient portion. Plate member 24 has a rigid portion 25 fixed to the case I and its resilient portion is the previously mentioned spring arm 2| in which the recess 22 is formed. The spring arm 2| has an enlargement 26 at its free end, adjacent the recess 22, which forms, with an end surface of the Xed portion 25 of the plate 24, a locking slot 2l. The slot 21 is closable through movement of the spring arm 2|, that is, when the pin I4 is forced out of the recess 22 it so springs the arm 2| as to effectively close the slot 2l.

The other of the locking plates 28 has a iixed portion 23 secured to the case I and a resilient arm 33 with a free end normally supporting a pin 3| preferably in close tting arrangement within the slot 2l. As long as` the pin 3| is in the slot 2l, the slot may not be closed and therefore the pin I4 must remain in the recess 22 and the stem 2 must remain in winding position.

It is to be understood, in reference to slot 2l in this specification and accompanying claims, that the `term closable means effectively so, that is, closable enough to prevent reentrance of pin 3i.

The plate 23 is further provided with a projection 32 on the spring portion 30. The projection 32 is so arranged that a push applied thereto will so spring the resilient arm 3G as to move the pin 3| out of the slot 2l into a positionapprcximately indicated at 3|. The arc 0f movement of the arm 30 is so arranged that the path of movement of the pin 3| vclosely approximates the direction of the slot 2.

Thus when a push is applied to the projection 32, and the pin 3| is moved out of the slot 2l, the slot 2l is then closable and the stem 2 may be moved to setting position. As soon as the stern has been moved to setting position the pressure or push on projection 32 may be released since the slot 21 is kept closed by the restraining action of the cam high point 23 on pin I4 at position I4 and the pin 3| is accordingly kept in position 3| by the closed slot 2'I.

The stem 2 is not locked in setting position but is retained there through the yieldable restraining action of the cam high point 23. When the stem 2 is pushed down to winding position, the pin I4 is forced back into the recess 22. The resilience of arm 2| opens the slot 2 and the resilience of arm 30 moves the pin 3| back into the slot 2l, thus again locking the stern 2 in its winding position.

In order to provide means for acting on the projection 32, a pin 33 is mounted in a bushing 34 which in turn is mounted in an outer portion 35 of the case I. The bushing 34 is provided with a recess 36 in which the upper portion of the pin 33 normally rests andvwhich provides a clearance so that the pin 33 may be depressed as by a nger nail or similar means. Pin 33 is normally kept in inoperative position in the sleeve 34 by the action of a spring 3'! which has one end xed to the case l as at 38 and the other passed through the lower portion of the pin 33. A clearance is provided between projection 32 and the pin 33 so as to permit projection 32 to rest in its normal position as shown in Fig. II, without interference.

Thus in order to set the hands of a watch it is merely necessary to depress the pin 33, move the stem 2 to setting position, release the stem 33, and thereafter so turn the crown 3 and stem 2 as to bring the hands of the watch to whatever setting is desired without the necessity of any continued or further attention or action to or on the pin 33.

Having described my invention I claim:

l. In a device of the character described, means normally locking a timepiece stem in winding position, manually operable means adapted to so release said locking means as to permit said stem to be ymoved to setting position, means, operable through movement of said stem to setting position, adapted to hold said locking means in released arrangement as long as the stem is left in setting position, and means, operable through the movement of said stem back to winding position, adapted to relock said stem in said winding position.

2. In a timepiece, a winding mechanism, a setting mechanism, a stem adapted to be operably connected with either of said mechanisms and to be moved from a position in which it is connected to one of said mechanisms to a position in which it is connected to the other of said mechanisms, restraining means adapted to yieldingly resist movement of said stem from either one of said positions to the other, locking means adapted to unyieldingly hold said stem in a rst of said positions, manually operable means adapted to so release said locking means as to permit said stem to be moved to the second of said positions, means, operable through the movement of said stem from said rst to said second position, adapted to hold said locking means in released arrangement as long as the stem is left in said second position, and `means operable through the movement of said stem back from said second to said rst position, adapted to relock said stern in said first position.

3. In a device of the character described, locking means including a closable opening and a pin adapted to prevent the closing of said opening, said locking means normally holding a timepiece stem in winding position, manually operable means adapted to remove said pin from said opening and permit said stem to be moved to setting position, and means, operable through movement of said stem, adapted to so close said opening as to hold said pin outside said opening as long as the stem is left in setting position.

4. In a timepiece, a winding mechanism, a setting mechanism, a stem adapted to be operably connected with either of said mechanisms and to be moved from a position in which it is connected to one of said mechanisms to a position in which it is connected to the other of said mechanisms, restraining means adapted to yieldingly resist movement of said stem from either one of said positions to the other, locking means including a closable opening and a finger adapted to prevent the closing of said opening, said locking means adapted to unyieldingly hold said stem in a first of said positions, manually operable means adapted to remove said finger from said opening and permit said stem to be moved to the second of said positions, and means, operable through the movement of the stem, adapted to so close said opening as to hold said finger outside said opening as long as the stem is left in setting position.

5. In a device of the character described a stem locking mechanism including a pair of cooperating members each having a. fixed portion and a movable and resilient portion having a free end, with the free end of the resilient portion of one of said members having an enlarged,

section in such position as to form a slot in cooperation with an end section of the iixed portion of said one of said members, a pin member Y mounted adjacent the free end of the resilient portion of the other of said members and adapted to lie in said slot to provide the locking function of said locking mechanism, and manually operable means adapted to so flex the said pin supporting resilient portion as to remove said pin from said slot to unlock said locking mechanism.

6. In a timepiece, a winding and setting mechanism including means normally locking said mechanism in winding position, means releasing said locking means and means actuated by said winding and setting mechanism to retain said locking means in released position while said winding means is insetting position and to release said locking meansl upon return of said mechanism to winding position.

7. In a timepiece, a winding and setting mechanism including a winding and Setting stem, means locking said stem in winding position, manually operable means releasing said locking means, means retaining said locking means in released position while said stem is in setting position and resilient means returning said locking means to locking position upon return of said stem to winding position.

8. A timepiece including a winding mechanism, a setting mechanism, a stem, a sleeve formed with gear teeth on each end slidably carried on said stem and actuated thereby to upper and lower positions, said sleeve engaging said winding mechanism in said upper position and engaging said setting mechanism in said lower position, means for retaining said sleeve in either position, means for locking said retaining means to prevent sliding movement of said sleeve and manually operable means for releasing said locking means.

9. In a timepiece7 a winding and setting stem movable to either winding or setting position, a pivoted member formed with a spring finger, said ringer forming, with said member, an interior recess having a narrowed entrance, said finger being also formed with an arcuate shaped exterior recess, a pivoted spring arm, a manually operable pin located in the timepiece case and controlling said sprincr arm, a pin projecting from said spring arm and between the pivoted member and its finger and in said narrowed entrance, a pivoted cam member secured at one end to said stem, an upstanding pin at the other end of said cam member seated in said arcuate shaped recess whereby movement of said manually operated pin causes the projecting pin to leave the narrowed entrance, allowing the spring linger to move, under impulse from the upstanding pin of the cam which is moved through movement of the stem to setting position, and

close the narrowed entrance holding the pro- Y 

